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Despite what some may say, China is not and has never been North Korea’s puppet master.

From a certain point of view, the DPRK has all the makings of a Chinese satellite state. It has for a long time distracted and irritated China’s main rival, the United States, and is very much dependent on the Middle Kingdom for its economic survival.

China — rich, rapidly growing, authoritarian but comparatively well-run — seems like it might be a model for North Korean leaders